Are You Scaring Your Customers Away with Your Call Software?

Phonexa

3 minute read

The best way to learn how to do something is by learning what not to do first. This philosophy is especially true when it comes to business and customer service.

This Halloween, take the time to ask yourself whether you’re giving your customers a great experience or providing them with an exhaustive nightmare with your calls.

• Bad Music Choice: Who likes elevator music? No one! If you have music that no one wants to hear, you’re definitely not thinking about your caller. So, avoid anything that loops, anything that’s muffled, or random music that’s not based on the caller’s demographic. The best call software gives you complete control over the choice of music.

• Incapable IVRs: IVRs with huge vocabularies and generous accent tolerance is key here. Your IVR could make your break your customer experience because it’s the customer’s first point of contact.

• Too Many Options: Do you have your IVR sent to too many options? If a caller is getting restless because you have too many options, you will surely scare them away after they lose their patience. There’s no reason for having so many options, because filters can be customized to break down the options into smaller categories. IVRs are meant to be short and concise, collecting necessary information while putting customer convenience first. 

• Transferring Issues: This is a classic one that’s still happening around the world. We think that there are few things scarier than being looped into a “transfer circle of hell,” as Chelsea Larsson puts it. We’ve all experienced this: going past the IVR and the irking hold music, then being endlessly transferred from department to department as though you’re some unwanted foster puppy. This is a caller’s worst nightmare. You never want to make your caller feel like they aren’t in control. If you bounce them around without providing them value, you’re doing something wrong.

There’s another way you may be scaring away your callers, and it’s what countless businesses are still doing now: abandoning the caller. There’s nothing that will make their hearts sink more than to hear, “We’re sorry, we can’t understand you. Please hang up and try again.” It’s no wonder why 89% of consumers who experience bad customer service eventually opt for a competitor instead.

It’s time to quit playing tricks on your callers – give them a treat instead. If your business isn’t using an advanced call platform with essential features such call queuing, call routing and recording, interactive call management, and comprehensive reports and analytics, you may be scaring away your customers for good!